


Frozen lakes.

by interstellash



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M, My First Work in This Fandom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-12
Updated: 2017-07-12
Packaged: 2018-12-01 08:02:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11482110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/interstellash/pseuds/interstellash
Summary: Harry and Louis have been best friends since they were kids and they had never realized what they truly feel for each other.But then something happens to Harry, and things change between them.





	Frozen lakes.

Harry didn’t know he was in love with Louis. Louis didn’t know he was in love with Harry. That was, until Harry almost died.  
Neither of them could go a day without talking to each other. But that’s what best friends do, they’re always there, and they always needed the other to be there. They had known each other since they were five, they had shared everything – from books, to experiences, secrets and food – they hadn’t ever contemplated what they would do without the other because they couldn’t be apart. Harry helped Louis get out of a toxic relationship when he was 15, and Louis taught Harry how to drive his motorbike when he was 17. Harry’s mum wasn’t so happy when she found out and grounded him, but Louis still came around (he crawled through Harry’s window, Harry’s mum had banned him from going to their house, considering him a bad influence, which she kept thinking for some months afterwards). Louis played football at school, and Harry went to all of his matches, he made friends with the girlfriends of the other players, who sometimes asked him if he and Louis were dating. Harry answered that they weren’t, and they dropped the topic.  
When you live in Minnesota, you barely go outside during the winter, so Harry and Louis had sleepovers. Sometimes just the two of them, sometimes with some other friends. Sometimes they shared a bed, and sometimes Louis had to pull back Harry’s hair when he kneeled down in front of the toilet so he wouldn’t get puke on it. There was a time when he would drink a lot, so Louis eventually had to check up on him to make sure he wasn’t overstepping. During Christmas Harry got Louis shirts of his favourite players, and Louis got him his favourite bands albums’.

They started taking trips together. They had felt the need to get away from their town for a while, and Harry was the first one to suggest they went away for some days. As soon as they had saved enough, they started travelling in Louis’ motorbike.  
At first they only visited cold places. Harry had always loved skating in frozen lakes, so they always stopped by cities in the north. But eventually, they moved to the south, until they reached Nebraska and Missouri, and eventually Alabama and Florida. The last one became Louis’ favourite. They had to repeat destination the following year by Louis’ petition. He wanted to keep exploring the state, and find more beaches to swim in the ocean and then sunbathe. As he lived in a cold place, for him to get to feel the warmth of the sun was like bringing him back to life.  
Harry kept saying that he was a lizard, wanting to lie in the sun all the time. And he accommodated to going to warm places rather than cold ones. It seemed fair that living in a land of ice, they should travel to places where you could forget about it for a while.

When they were 24, they were making plans for their next trip. It was February and the temperature wasn’t as cold as usual for that time of the year, but they decided to go to the big lake that was next to Louis’ workplace, in a building company.  
While Louis’ was sat in front of the lake, Harry was ice skating, falling sometimes and laughing at his clumsiness when trying to get up.  
He always got bruises, and sometimes sent pictures to Louis when he told him that he hadn’t fallen that hard.  
They were thinking about going even more to the south, maybe even Mexico or El Salvador. They knew their Spanish lessons wouldn’t get them too far, but they would find their way around. Louis told Harry he was going to grab something to eat, and he left for five minutes. That time was enough for Harry to move from where he was to a place where the ice was thinner, and fall in the water.

When Louis got back, he saw him in the lake, desperately trying to get out, but breaking the ice constantly with each attempt. Louis had always been taught that with less than 40 degrees you had 15 minutes to save someone who had fallen in frozen water, and more than that could mean death. Worst case scenario, Harry had fallen as soon as he’d left, so he still had ten minutes. Calling the police would be wasting some precious time, so he just went for it.  
He got as close as possible, and tried to reach for him, but he heard the ice started breaking under him, so he moved to the other side and reached for his hand, failing at first, as Harry’s was wet and couldn’t hold it properly, but he tried again, and he tried to pull him out, but by doing that, Louis started falling in the water.  
‘Okay, okay. Harry! You need to crawl. Okay? I’m gonna, I’m gonna lay down and you crawl onto me, okay? You can do it, okay? I’m right here’.  
So, Louis laid down next to the hole, and he grabbed the broken ice with one of his hands as best as he could so as not to fall in the hole. The ice kept breaking and he felt a stabbing pain on the palm of his hand. And Harry, with his exhausted arms, tried to crawl, and it took him a few attempts until he managed to get on top of Louis’ back, just enough for the other guy to turn around, helping him get almost completely out of the water. He then pushed Harry, so his feet would get finally out.  
‘Come, come here’ Louis said. He helped him up, and he almost fell on the ice again, but Louis took him out of the lake.  
He was trembling and his nails and lips were blue. His mouth was trying to get air in and out for his lungs but struggling to do so.  
Louis took off Harry’s coat and then proceeded to do the same with his sweater and his shirt. He then moved to do the same with his own clothes, hugging then Harry as soon as possible to give him some of his body heat.  
‘I got you, I got you’ he said, taking his own coat with one of his hands and putting it over Harry and himself, barely.  
He moved his arms up and down Harry’s back and pressed Harry’s arms against his own back, so his chest would get as much warmth as possible but also his arms, eventually.  
‘It’s okay, it’s okay’ he hugged him tightly and pressed his cheek against his neck, feeling cold ice on his cheek.  
Harry was still trembling, and Louis could feel his shaky breaths against his shoulder. But, five minutes later, his body gained some warmth, even if the shaking persisted, and twelve minutes after that, his bodies had the same temperature.  
Louis had kept moving his arms so as to help his circulation start again, but now he was doing it slower, his arms tired too after all the effort. He had panicked for a moment thinking that Harry was going to die, but now he was calmer, and he could think with more clarity.

 

They took Harry to the hospital and they said that he had hypothermia. When Louis told them what had happened, the doctor said he had saved his life.  
He knew that he had, but hearing those words from someone else made him cry.

 

The following day Harry was discharged. He looked well, but Louis wasn’t there to see him, as it was his mom who picked him up from the hospital.

 

Harry went to Louis’ house. They sat and watched 'Bridget Jones’ Diary', but Harry felt Louis wasn’t very talkative, which was odd of him.  
At one point, he stopped the movie and asked what happened.  
Louis stayed silent for a couple more seconds, collecting his thoughts.  
‘You almost died, Haz, and I don’t know what I would have done. I thought I wouldn’t get you out’  
‘But you did’  
And Louis couldn’t say anything else. And Harry held him until he stopped crying.

 

Louis realized he was in love with Harry after he almost died, but he didn’t know how to tell him. Everything was the same. They hung out every day, and they even spent more time together than before. Louis thought at one point that it may had have to do with making sure Harry was safe. Ever since the incident he had realized he not only couldn’t live without him, but also he didn’t want to. He also realized his lips always looked soft, he always smelled good, and that he himself was not so-obviously trying to get close to him all the time. He didn’t realize in the same moment, but after, when the day was over, and his clothes smelled of his cologne. For instance, they were making brownies one day, and Harry was melting chocolate on a pot. He commented how delicious it tasted, and Louis got behind him, resting his chin on the other guy’s shoulder and asking if he could have some. Harry got chocolate on Louis' nose and Louis took revenge by touching his cheek with his nose. He wanted to kiss the chocolate off his cheek, but he just grabbed a napkin for him to clean it off his face and then stayed right behind him, admiring his focused eyes on such a simple task. Looking back at that moment he was glad Harry didn’t feel uncomfortable with it.

Louis wasn’t good with words, so whenever he was craving affection, he just went for it. Sometimes he would just rest his head on Harry’s shoulder, and Harry would turn around and hug him, and sometimes he would lay down on the couch and touch Harry’s leg with his feet, which would let him know that he wanted him to stroke his leg. And Harry obliged.

This kind of intimacy he only had it with him. But sometimes, lately, he craved more, and he didn’t know where Harry would draw the line, but he didn’t dare to ask either.

 

Harry realized he was in love with Louis after he almost died. He didn’t know if there was something before, but he clearly knew there was something now, and he just couldn’t stop thinking about it. He realized his feelings had changed after he had had the incident, but he didn’t think it was because of the incident. He just felt really close to Louis, more so than before. And he didn’t need to be anywhere else, just beside him. He also felt Louis being more attentive, and more affectionate with him. Maybe that helped his feelings grow. He sometimes wondered if he could kiss him. If that would screw things up or not. He also was trying to collect his thoughts and tell him, not wanting to overstep by making a move the other one didn’t want him to make. He knew Louis wasn’t the best at talking about his feelings, at least it would take a lot of effort from him to do so, but Harry felt like his throat was burning each day that passed by and he didn’t say anything. So he promised himself to wait at least one week to see if he could collect more proof that Louis’ behaviour towards him had changed and make up his mind about what should he do next.

 

Said week went by fairly quick. Harry wasn’t still sure about whether the other guy felt differently for him or not, but he couldn’t keep his heart quiet any longer. So, late at night, when they were watching ‘Serendipity’ on TV, Harry asked him if they could talk. And he felt a bit bad as soon as he saw Louis’ worried face.  
‘It’s nothing bad, I think’ Harry said.  
‘Okay. What is it?’ the other guy asked, sitting on the couch instead of laying down, as he had been until that moment.  
‘I don’t know, I don’t mean to make things awkward. So I’m just gonna say it and if you’re not okay with it, I’ll do something about it, okay?’  
‘Okay’ Louis answered.  
‘I don’t know, the days following the, you know, ‘incident’, I started feeling differently about you. Just, I think maybe I had always felt like this but I didn’t know what it was until a couple of weeks back’ he shook his head, thinking that he wasn’t saying what he meant to say. ‘The thing is, I like you. So much. I always pictured my life with you in it, and I think it’s because there’s no one I can love more than I love you. I know it’s, maybe overstepping a bit? But I just needed to tell you’  
Louis just stood there, taking in what he had just said. Replaying it in his head.  
‘I love you too’ he said.  
Harry just looked down, thinking that there was a ‘but’ about to be dropped.  
‘I’m not good at this’ he paused for a second ‘I love you – like that – too. I’d not realized before, but it’s starting to make sense for me now. I love being with you all the time because you know me, you get me, and I get you, and I keep getting to know you a bit more every day, and I keep thinking you’re the best person I know’ Louis couldn’t say this looking into his eyes, but he meant it.  
‘I also want to kiss you right now’ he added.  
And Harry obliged.  
‘Next time just do it’.

 

And so Harry kept telling the story of how he fell for the guy who saved him when he fell, making Louis roll his eyes, even though he loved hearing the story every single time. And Harry started being more careful when he ice skated on frozen lakes. He never did it when he was alone, not anymore. They didn’t even decide to live together, it just happened gradually. Harry spent so much time at Louis’ (who could afford to live on his own), that he started asking if he could stay a bit longer each time. That was until he never left. And whenever someone asked Louis if the story Harry told was true, he replied that he was, as incredible as the events sounded, telling the truth. But he also thought to himself that Harry, being all warmth and happiness, had saved him from a lonely, cold life. He had all these memories with this boy and he kept thinking that he had started being himself as soon as he came into his life, and that he would not be who he was without him, and that he wouldn’t want to try.

**Author's Note:**

> this is the first work i post pls b nice.


End file.
